Obama injects more informal culture

Less than a month in office, President Barack Obama has ushered in a more informal White House culture that contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

From his dress to his schedule, Obama has introduced a more informal decorum. He receives his daily intelligence and economic briefings after 9:00 am, hours later than Bush. He is also known to sometimes burn the midnight oil, a sharp difference with his notoriously early-to-bed predecessor.

Obama's "laid-back style is a sharp contrast to President Bush. He is more laid back in appearance, more 24-7 in his work code," said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.

One of the first photographs released by the Obama White House shows the new commander-in-chief sitting in the Oval Office in shirtsleeves, casual attire that would have amounted to apostasy under Bush.

"There should be a dress code of respect," Bush's first White House chief of staff Andrew Card told Inside Edition, a syndicated television newsmagazine. "I wish that he would wear a suit and tie."

"We're wearing short sleeves because we have to roll up our sleeves and clean up the mess that we inherited," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod shot back in an interview with The Washington Post.

Even Bush was found to have sometimes let go of his reputedly strict suit-and-tie dress code.

Presidential casual dress does have a long tradition, with presidents ranging from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton at times kicking back and removing their jackets for important business.

To celebrate Valentine's Day weekend with his family, Obama on Friday returned for the first time since his inauguration to his Chicago home, a far more urban setting than Bush's isolated Texas ranch.

During his eight-year presidency, Bush spent all or part of about 490 days in Crawford, Texas and some 487 days at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland.

Don't expect the same from Obama, who has kept up a frenetic schedule. The White House said he would make domestic trips once a week.

"President Obama's new style is more accessible and open than what we have seen in the past administration ... This is a style that will help him during a period of great economic hardship," said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

"During crises, people want a leader with whom they can relate and who they believe understands their pain. His style will be a tremendous plus for him in the early days of his presidency."

AFP

(China Daily 02/16/2009 page7)